India's largest passenger vehicle company Maruti Suzuki India on Monday started retail sales of its newest NEXA offering -- the Grand Vitara, a cross-badged variant of the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hydryer. The Grand Vitara is the first vehicle to be powered by Toyota’s self-charging hybrid technology, as part of the agreement Suzuki has signed with Toyota for the Indian markets.

The SUV comes with an electric hybrid powertrain, with a fuel efficiency of 27.97 per km, progressive smart hybrid and Suzuki ALLGRIP SELECT technology.

The Grand Vitara price starts at ₹10.45 lakh. The New Grand Vitara will be available in 10 variants, with 3 dual-tone and 6 monotone colour options. With the Grand Vitara launch on the first day of Navratri, which marks the beginning of the festive season, Maruti aims to cash in on the festive fervour.

This is for the first time that a Maruti vehicle will have self-charging technology. The Grand Vitara will compete with the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and Volkswagen Taigun, among others.

Maruti Suzuki CEO and MD Hisashi Takeuchi says the Grand Vitara has already received over 57,000 bookings. "The Grand Vitara intelligent electric hybrid boasts segment-leading fuel-efficiency and a pure EV driving mode." He also said the Grand Vitara, featuring Suzuki’s ALLGRIP SELECT tech will attract hardcore SUV fans.

The Grand Vitara is the first product as part of MSIL’s plans to double down on the mid-size SUV segment, and its success will chart the course of the company’s future products.

Toyota launched the iteration of the same SUV -- Toyota Hyryder Urban Cross -- on September 9, with prices starting from ₹15.11 lakh and going up to ₹18.99 lakh.

The hybrid powertrain in the models of these cars allows them to run on the so-called 'pure EV mode' i.e. battery mode by working as an electric car. So, if one is using the hybrid powertrain of the Grand Vitara, people commuting short distances can really benefit from this feature.

Maruti Suzuki New SUV

Maruti Grand Vitara SUV launched at ₹10.45 lakh